Fairy Blood
by katewindsor
Summary: Laura and John have been friends for years, but there is only one thing neither of them know about her. In fact, the only person who knows about it is Queen Ella. When weird things start happening to Laura when she turns 17, Laura is in for a big suprise.
1. Laura's many shoes

"Oh come on Laura, let's go swimming," said John while yanking at my arm.

 "No thank you, maybe some other time," I said in the politest, most practical voice I could. 

"You wouldn't be scared of Ell telling your father about you swimming with a boy would you?" John asked sarcastically. We had been friends for 5 years now and he read me like a book. 

"Not me," I said standing up trying not to give it away that I still was nervous. Sometimes even though I knew that John could read my every thought I pretended on my own that he couldn't so that I wouldn't be embarrassed. I mean, John was my best friend and I went to him for everything. Everything, even sometimes feminine this or that but he usually he gets annoyed or doesn't have a solution. As I was getting up I stepped on the end of my long skirt and toppled backwards, even though I was reasonably pretty I was also really clumsy. John laughed playfully at me then extended his arm which I grasped gratefully and he pulled me up. John and I both had parents who were friends of King Charmond, and Queen Eleanor. We were always wisked away to this or that, so our undisturbed play time was precious. Usually I didn't like going to these royal parties, or banquets, except for when we sat near Queen Eleanor. I always felt a connection to her, which may be just because we share the same birthday, May 1.  Today is April 3 so I do not have too long to go until my 17th birthday. John is 2 years and a bit older than me though, so he always teases me about being a little girl. 

"Catch me if you can," I laughed cheerfully as I ran circles very fast around John. He stood in the middle of my circles standing upright and proper, arms folded on top of his broad chest. He had an amused look on his face as he watched me run. He waited about 5 seconds, then stretched out his arm and held me around the waist. 

He pulled me back into his arms then tilted his head so that her was looking into my face then smiled and said "got you." We both burst out laughing so loud that a servant came out from one of the bed chambers and hissed at us. John apologized, then we both looked at each other and sneered. 

"Come on," John said pulling my arm as we made our way to the great hall. John and I knew the palace like the back of our hands. 

We had played here for years as children with the King and Queen's son…before he…before the accident. When we came to the stair rail I looked at John with sad and begging eyes. He knew what I was thinking about, but he also knew that I was begging him not to mention it. John wrapped me in a quick hug then we both slid down the balcony hand in hand until my clumsiness kicked in when we got to the end and we both toppled over laughing unharmed. The banquet hall was big with a miraculous huge oak wood table and beautiful tapestry covering walls. All the guests had arrived already and by the look on my father's face I was late. "Hello Father," I said in a small voice as I came to sit in-between him and Ell for that was the only available seat. 

"Your late," my father said as if it I didn't know. Ell gave me an evil glare. 

"You are an embarrassment to this family, do you know that Laura?" said Ell, her glaring eyes, tiny nose, and annoyingly high voice made her all the more dreadful. "You wouldn't want the young men to think that you are irresponsible now would you?" Ell batted her eyelashes and gave me a pouty face after that rude remark. _You are a disturbing imbecile, do you know that Ell? _I wanted to spit back at her, but I kept my mouth closed for I knew the worlds of  trouble far deeper than tonight that she could some way or another get me into.

After the banquet I approached Queen Eleanor and said "You wouldn't happen to have any other pairs of tiny shoes for the others you have given me are ruined." I said nervously. 

"You have ruined all of those shoes in such a short amount of time," said Queen Eleanor with an obviously fake surprised tone. 

"Well you see your majesty…" I began. 

"Please, call me Ella," Queen Eleanor interrupted. 

"Well anyway...um…Ella, I." I began again. 

"No need to explain," Ella said kindly. "I know your playful nature." "Here come with me." Ella said as she extended her hand toward me. Her hand was so soft and her words were so soothing that I felt like a little child being coaxed to do something by their mother. I smiled at Ella and she smiled back. After about a five minute walk I was lead into a beautiful room. The walls were painted coral, and the bed sheets were silky and rose colored. There was much fancy crystal, and everything was spotless. This must be the Ella and Charmond's room I thought to myself. The next thing I knew King Charmond came bursting into the room. 

"Another boring royal event" said Char as he covered his face with his hands and rolled over playfully on the large bed. Ella giggled as she watched Char. 

"Char, we have company," She said half laughing. 

"Oh" said Char smiling as he looked at me. "How are you Laura?" Char asked in his most relaxed King like voice. 

"Fine," I said. Char turned to Ella and gave her a questioning look. 

"I am helping Laura pick out some of my shoes for herself," said Ella getting the hint. 

Char, being not as cunning as Ella, to that replied, "She has shoes of her own." Ella shot him a glare and waved her own tiny foot around in back of me so that I she couldn't see. "Oh so Laura you are a friend of the…" Ella shook her head and mouthed, _she doesn't know, _to Char. Finally Char, getting the hint, shut his mouth. 

"Alright Laura," said Ella; "Here you go." Ella opened a closet door to reveal hundreds of shoes on tens of rows. The tiny shoes were elegant and came in all different types and colors. Some were dress shoes, some were play shoes, some were sandals, and some were high heels. They were auburn, charcoal, mauve, scarlet, ivory, lemon, cream, peach, every color you could imagine. "Go ahead," said Ella sensing my insecurity. "They are all yours."


	2. The Demon Like Ways, of Ell

"I don't mean to be rude milady, but may I ask why you are spinning circles and singing so merrily?" asked the servant girl, as she peeled potatoes in the kitchen early the next morning of the banquet.  
  
Laura lifted her foot up gracefully from under her skirts to reveal a beautiful satin slipper that was colored maroon. "What a lovely slipper," said the servant girl as she admired it, "but it is quite nothing to get so worked up about." Laura lifted her tiny finger and motioned for the servant girl to lean closer. "I have hundreds," Laura whispered then fell backwards onto the wooden floor laughing.  
  
(The servant girl's POV)  
  
I watched in great joyfulness when I heard Laura singing. Poor girl, always being pushed and pulled around like she doesn't have feelings. And of course her sister is a snobbish brat who throws herself at men, and for some odd reason her father is blind to it. But this was over the top joy. Laura was not walking in a straight line and she was acting so foolish. Maybe she is drunk. That is a very good possibility, but the poor girl will surely be beaten for it. I must send for her friend John. He can surely take care of it.  
  
(John's POV)  
  
At the sound of my name coming from the door I rushed to it a once. "It is quite alright Marley," I said to the servant girl as I pushed her aside, "I will take care of this."  
  
I looked at the messenger. "Something for me?" I asked.  
  
"You Jonathan E. Hardcastle?" asked the messenger.  
  
"Yup, that's me," I said extending my hand for a letter.  
  
"No letter sir, this is a spoken message," said the messenger.  
  
"Oh," I replied, "go on then," I coaxed.  
  
"Right then," said the messenger. "A Miss Jane Duise is a servant girl at the home of the fée Lutin's, she has requested that I come to you on account of which there is something wrong with a Miss Laura fée Lutin."  
  
"Oh, thank you," I said tossing the man a coin and running out the door. Laura was hurt, maybe even sick; if anyone laid a finger on her oh they are going to get it I thought to myself as I ran towards Laura's house.  
  
(Normal story - which is Laura's POV)  
  
"Where am I?" I asked while trying to lift my head up, which to my surprise I could not do. From what I could tell I was lying in my bed and John was next to me. I gave him a weak a smile, and he grinned.  
  
He wrapped me in a really tight hug and said, "Thank God you're alright. You really scared me," fear reflected in his eyes and I knew he meant it.  
  
"What happened?" I asked once again trying to lift my head but then giving up and resting it once again on John's shoulder.  
  
"You got drunk at the banquet last night," said John as he playfully rubbed my long auburn hair.  
  
"LAURA WHERE ARE YOU?" called Ell obviously annoyed.  
  
"Quick, hide," I said weakly to John, and he ran towards my closet. A couple of minutes later Ell came bursting through the door.  
  
"Laura you lazy thick-headed little freak, get out of bed NOW! The King and Queen are having a ball to welcome their daughter Naomi, and their granddaughter Kaylee who are coming to visit. We need hours of preparation, of course. Let us begin our feminine pampering," said Ell extending her hand. Despite the fact that she was always sickeningly sweet when we were doing pampering, I pulled my hand away.  
  
"Laura," Ell sighed coming to sit on my bed. "You want to look stunning or you will never get a man to be your husband," said Ell trying once again to coax me from my bed to her room. This time, although it hurt, I came with her. I walked weakly along Ell's side and surprisingly she didn't notice how tired and odd I was acting.  
  
"I have to use the bathroom," I said to Ell once we were in her room.  
  
"Fine, go," she replied her head in the clouds with the thought of fashion that brought her sheer bliss. I ran as fast as I could to my room, which was to my despair most of the time but not now only down the hall. I opened the closet door to find John with an amused look on his face. "Ell wants you to get a husband, huh Laura?" asked John mockingly referring to the comment Ell had made just 5 minutes ago. I giggled a little, John always new how to make me laugh.  
  
"John," I said. "You have to get out or Ell will get us in so much trouble.  
  
"Ta ta, milady." Said John pretending to tip his hat towards me.  
  
"Go," I coaxed. And with that I swept out of the room. When I was back in Ell's room I knew I was in for torture. She had the works all spread out on her bead. There were wooden curlers, blush, skin oils, lipstick, powder, eyelash extender, and cotton balls. I guessed the cotton balls were for stuffing the top of my dress. "Alright," said Ell, let's get started.  
  
As I entered the ball I felt like a dork. Ell had locked arms with me and if I wasn't keeping tall posture she pinched me hard with her long fingernails. My hair was piled on the top of my head, my face was white with powder, and deep red lipstick covered my lips. Ell led me to a two seats next to father and put me in the middle. I am always in the middle. I suppose it is because it is harder for me to slip away and Ell knows it. Ell may be fashion crazed but she was sly, cunning, and had a sharp eye for little things like this. Dinner came and I was forced to gulp down tomato soup. I was sure I didn't want to think about what would happen if I spilled it on my dress, so I leaned my neck as close to the bowl as possible.  
  
"Your sister looks like a goose," sneered Diana, one of Ell's friends from next to Ell.  
  
Ell elbowed me then whispered in the most threatening voice I had ever heard, "Don't embarrass me Ell, or it won't be pretty." I immediately I knew not to get on Ell's bad side that night, so I sat still until the dancing began. I was asked to dance by a few gentlemen, and finally to my relief I saw John.  
  
"John," I said when I saw him.  
  
"Would you like to dance?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, sure," I replied a little uncertain. John's normally amused mocking voice was gone and he acted as if he had never met me. I stared at him while we were dancing but he barely seemed to notice. I studied him for a while then it dawned on me. He was staring very clearly at Kaylee. "John, I can tell you are staring at Kaylee," I told him.  
  
"No I am not," he shot back. I was scared with the way he was acting. Why was he yelling at me?  
  
"Are we still friends?" I asked him nervously.  
  
"If you keep getting into my business then maybe we shouldn't be," said John coldly. Tears were forming in my eyes. I yanked my hands away from his grasp and ran out of the great hall. Why was John acting so strange? I thought once I was in the library looking at books that I didn't understand until I heard people beginning to leave. I was about to stand up to go find father when John came into the room. I hid my head in my knees and tried to fight back tears.  
  
"Laura..I..I didn't mean to act that way, I was to overprotective because I didn't want you to know that I had a crush on Kaylee." I tried to smile at him but I had been so scared.  
  
"I was really scared," I told him my voice wobbly. He sat down next to me and smiled.  
  
"Come on Laura you know you should never be scared of me, and if you are, tell me, and I will most likely snap back to reality. John put his hand around my waist, and tried to comfort me with his reassuring words. John always has a way with words. And for the rest eternity, or so it seemed, I laid my head on John's shoulder and cried. 


	3. Meeting André

"If you really want to know John, I think that you should ask her out. It is not like you are a peasent or anything, you are of high society," I said to John on a sunny day out in the orchard.  
  
We were lying down on the warm grass underneath the shade of an apple tree talking about Ella and Char's daughter Eloise. This week there was no special occasion so I got to wear almost anything. I had put on a bright yellow jumper, with white stockings, and for once I was only forced to wear one underskirt. My hair was in a simple braid and there wasn't a spot of makeup on my face. I rolled around joyfully in the grass staining my dress, but I didn't care.  
  
"I know," replied John, "But she is so beautiful, and perfect, and an amazing dancer, and....," John continued for what seemed like hours.  
  
Finally I couldn't take it any more. "You know John if you like her as much as you claim, then I would totally go for it. I think you could use a love life built on a real relationship instead of just dreaming about it."  
  
"Yeah I guess your right Laura," said John, "You do need a love life that is not as lame as it is now."  
  
"Exact...hey, I was talking about you."  
  
"Me?" said John with a fake surprised voice. "Yes, you," I said. And with that, I picked an apple off the tree, and bit in.  
  
When I walked inside the house I heard Ell singing Ladamuste while playing the piano; I knew that it was almost time for my lesson. I leaned my head around the large white door, and with Ell and the piano teacher's back to me, I stuck my tongue out repulsively at Ell. Unfortunately the head servant came walking by and tightly grabbed my shoulder. "Now don't go stickin your head in there while your sister's havin' her lesson, young lady."  
  
"Pardon me," I said and curtsied politely. Then I walked off, praying that the teacher would forget about my lesson.  
  
That night I heard someone banging on my door. "Come in," I groaned, but before I had finished Ell came bursting in.  
  
"A foolish, now former, maid had received notice this morning about a midnight festival tonight and forgot to give father the message. It starts in two hours we must prepare," said Ell. I groaned again and got out of bed, my head throbbing from being woken up after only one hour of sleep. I sat for one whole hour while Ell curled my eyelashes, waxed my arms and legs, applied blush, lipstick, and many crèmes (French for creams), and gels to my hair and face. Finally I had my robe around me, hard wooden curlers in my hair, and all my makeup on my face.  
  
"Now for your dress," said Ell, taking a dress off a hanger in her closet. The dress was turquoise, with long matching gloves, and a matching hand bag. I also had to wear a corset, a wooden board to keep my posture perfect, and very itchy underskirts. By the time I was finished, I felt awful. I was tired, the board hurt, and the corset was too tight. I followed Ell obediently into the carriage where father was waiting, and then we took off.  
  
When we arrived I was delighted to see John waiting for me. The festival was outside with food, music, dancing, and warm fires burning. John extended his arm to me and we walked elbow, in elbow into the festival grounds. As we walked I saw the Ella and Char at the table of royalty, and the high class sipping soup. Next to Ella was Eloise, and I watched John gaze fondly at her. But next to Char was someone I did not recognize. Something in me seemed to click and suddenly I wanted to know everything about him.  
  
"John, who's that?" I said, elbowing John in the side.  
  
"What? Oh that's Char's nephew, André, his favorite sister's kid. He is staying with the royal family for a while, why?"  
  
"Oh, nothing I just didn't recognize him."  
  
"Oh, said John, "want to go sit down?"  
  
"Alright," I said and went to sit right down next to André.  
  
"Good evening King Charmond, and Ella."  
  
"Oh, yes good evening Laura, have you met my nephew, André? Said Char.  
  
"No, your highness, I have not had the pleasure to be introduced to him yet." I said. "It is a pleasure to meet you," I told him, extending my hand out to his.  
  
He grasped it firmly, and for what seemed like forever we stood hand in hand. His hand was warm and comforting and I never wanted to let go, but Char, Ella, Eloise, and John were starring at us so we both released our grasp. About halfway through the festival, while I was dancing in the moon light, André asked me if I would care to dance. This was the only time I had ever before regretted that it was not ball room dancing, and that the partners kept a bit apart.  
  
"I'd love to," I said, wanting to be near him. While I was dancing every thing seemed to be going well. I was dancing with André, John had asked Eloise to dance in which she had accepted, and the festival festivities were delightful. As were pranced around the fire, André seemed to be trying to get close enough to whisper something in my ear. I leaned in forward and to let him tell me what he had to say.  
  
"Come with me," he whispered, "I have some place to show you. When the music stopped, and the song ended, I curtsied, he bowed, and we bid each other good bye. As we walked off we met back at the front and fled from the festival.  
  
"Where are we going," I asked, as we both ran fast, the wind blowing in our faces.  
  
"Shhhhhhhhh," he said and put his gloved hand over my mouth, "It's a secret." 


End file.
